Please check my build components!

[tyrantrave]

I humbly ask of assistance in verifying whether these new components I am buying are compatible with some of my older pieces. I am upgrading from an Intel e2180 and Abit IP35-E board, so I've been out of the building mindset for a while...

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3P LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

PLUS older existing components

Corsair 450VX PSU
Samsung F3 1TB HDD x3
Antec P180 Case
Nvidia 8800GTS PCI-E

Specifically, do you think the current PSU will provide enough juice? I will likely replace it along with the gfx card once I get more funds.

THANKS!

[birddog_61]

Well first your going to find out quick here that people have had some bad experiences with G.skill, I would recommend kingston or corsair memory instead. Second is are you going to OC your processor?

[David M]

Just so everyone is aware, regular Sandy Bridges are not overclockable. It must be a K series. See here, they got a 46% overclock on one. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Intel...d-177765.shtml

Your 450 watt PSU is very unlikely to power an 8800GTS. The 8800GTS is getting long in the tooth for gaming but will work for some games that are not too graphics intensive.

If you want a more modern card then consider a new 550 watt or a 650 watt card, either Corsair or Antec. Card manufacturers list minimum requirements for PSU's for different cards.

[tyrantrave]

Originally Posted by David M Sandy Bridges are not overclockable...not enough to bother. Your 450 watt PSU is very unlikely to power an 8800GTS. The 8800GTS is getting long in the tooth for gaming but will work for some games that are not too graphics intensive. If you want a more modern card then consider a new 550 watt or a 650 watt card, either Corsair or Antec. Card manufacturers list minimum requirements for PSU's for different cards.

If Corsair is favored, any thoughts on the 8GB Vengeance DDR3 series?

I chose the G.Skill initially because I heard the Corsair actually runs at 9-10-9-24 ...

For the Sandy Bridge, yes I do plan on OC'ing. We are talking about the 2500K right? This was the same processor anandtech OC'ed to 4.5GHZ on air w/ stock cooler and voltage... Am I missing something?

Regarding the 8800GTS, that is what I have right now and it works fine w/ the 450W PSU. I should have mentioned this is a partial upgrade of CPU, MOBO, and RAM on my existing build. I just don't have enough cash to upgrade gfx card and PSU right now if I can avoid it.

Thanks for the help!

[flanzig1]

I would make sure that your PSU has the 8pin(4x4) CPU power connector for the mother board. If only a 4pin connector, the mother board may not start.

[tyrantrave]

Originally Posted by flanzig1 I would make sure that your PSU has the 8pin(4x4) CPU power connector for the mother board. If only a 4pin connector, the mother board may not start.

I just checked and it seems to have both a 4pin and 8pin cpu power connector.

[David M]

Just be aware that a 450 watt PSU will not power all modern graphics cards

[tyrantrave]

Originally Posted by David M Just be aware that a 450 watt PSU will not power all modern graphics cards

Roger that. The next step will be upgrading the gfx card and PSU together. I just wanted to make sure the rest of the components worked together in the meantime.

[quartet-man]

I am one who had major issues with G.Skill that required getting different memory and losing a great deal of time, money and hassle.

[David M]

I still don't get how so many people get their hearts set on G.Skill memory...they must be doing some really good marketing somewhere.

[glc]

Your 450 watt PSU is very unlikely to power an 8800GTS.

Very incorrect, sir. It does a very nice job. Nvidia only recommends 400 watts, and that assumes an "average" quality PSU. A Corsair 450VX is a high quality unit. Absolutely no need to replace it unless you get a new card that requires more than it can handle. I would trust that particular PSU in a system with a card that 500 watts is recommended for.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Originally Posted by David M I still don't get how so many people get their hearts set on G.Skill memory...they must be doing some really good marketing somewhere.

Online stores put it right in the first page and it's usually in the Top 10 lists. Most people --who don't know about the issues with it-- go for it.

[birddog_61]

The reason I asked about OC was you had a k class processor, a lot of people choose that processor with no intention of OC. It should all work together fine, however like has been said stay away from gskill. In the sub $110 range I would go with this
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
Or
Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX
or
Newegg.com - Patriot G series ‘Sector 5’ Edition 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model PGV38G1600ELK

I really don't know much about Gigabyte motherboards or how reliable they are, I do know ASUS makes a great board and their customer service is excellent. On newegg you can get the asus pro board for about $16 bucks more than the gigabyte you have listed, and it has UEFI and bluetooth built in. Uefi is really nice and boots very fast, my i7-875k boots in about 20sec from touch of the button to finished loading windows and apps. Here is that board if your interested.
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
And here is a side by side.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%204017&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=280|13-131-682^13-131-682-TS%2C13-128-462^13-128-462-TS

[tyrantrave]

Thanks for all the feedback! I am going to change the build's ram and mobo as follows:

Corsair 8GB Vengeance due to low 1.5v rating

ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA

I appreciate all the input; as always, this is a great community!